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From tips on how to lose weight effectively to ways to combat boredom eating, this collection of informative articles covers a wide range of health topics that matter to real people, like you.

5 Habits of Weight Loss Success

Succeeding at weight loss shouldn't mean just making a temporary commitment; it should be about making a lifetime commitment to health.

Instead of focusing on numbers and pounds, re-shift your energy toward living better. Forget the fad diets and the promise of rapid weight loss success. Succeeding means making sure you are ready.

Here are 5 strategies that can help you get there.

5. First, Make a Commitment

Before starting any weight loss program, you need to make sure you are ready. It’s important that you remember that permanent weight loss takes time and effort. This lifetime commitment to health also requires focus.

What most people underestimate when it comes to losing weight is that it takes a lot of mental and physical energy to permanently change your habits. It’s very important that you start with a mentally clean slate before diving head-first into something completely new.

Before making this commitment, make sure you are financially prepared and that you have a healthy relationship with your spouse, your friends and your family. This will help you go into your new commitment with a more clean slate, freeing up more energy to focus on yourself, and being healthy.

4. Be Realistic

It’s simple: don’t set goals you know aren’t achievable. It’s important to be positive when it comes to setting goals, but it’s just as important to be realistic.

If you know your schedule doesn’t allow you to make it to the gym five days each week, don’t set this goal. Really sit down and see where you can make time to be physically active.

Also, don’t set yourself up for disappointment when it comes to numbers and pounds on the scale. Don’t say you are going to lose 50 pounds in one month right off the bat. It is unlikely this will happen and there is nothing worse than being disappointed—this often leads to a lag in motivation.

Instead, set your goals week by week. Ideally, you want to try to lose 1-2 pounds per week, but this could vary depending on other factors, like your height, current weight and BMI.

Categorizing your goals separately can also help. For example, you can have ongoing goals, as well as outcome goals. Ongoing goals are things like exercising regularly, while outcome goals are, “I will lose 30 pounds.” This can really help you organize your thoughts and help you maintain your motivation, without feeling distressed.

3. Put Things in Perspective

It’s not enough to just eat healthy and to exercise. Your new habits to be healthy need to become your way of life. This is why it is so important in the beginning to assess all of your potential hang-ups when it comes to weight loss.

Not only will you need to recognize the challenges you will face when it comes to losing weight, but you will need to have a plan set in motion for when these issues come up—and they will!

You also need to realize that an occasional setback is possible and is nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you can overcome these setbacks, you can learn from your mistakes and get back on track. This is why putting these potential problems into perspective can be so helpful to your overall, long-term success.

2. Enjoy What You Eat

There is nothing worse than trying to shove bland and boring healthy food down your throat, simply because you need to. Despite what others may tell you, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Never mind that this is what BistroMD provides for you—healthy and delicious entrees—but, you can make foods more enjoyable and healthy on your own.

You also want to strive for variety, just to keep things interesting on a daily basis. Make sure to start every day with a healthy breakfast—this is key. Cut back on sugar, and eat your veggies and fruit.

Lowering your daily calorie intake doesn’t have to be miserable, and it shouldn’t be if you are going to maintain a lifetime of weight loss success.

1. Try to Get Active—and Stay Active

While you necessarily don’t need a ton of exercise to lose weight, (the right diet is most important), being physically active can make you feel better overall.

Exercise not only helps you lose weight, but it has a numerous amount of other health benefits, including giving your mood a much-needed boost. Most people who achieve long-term weight loss also have regular bouts of physical activity.

For more tips from our experts, please visit our healthy facts section for more information.

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